Chronic Myocardial Infarction refers to myocardial tissue which has died as the result of myocardial infarct, and has over the course of time become remodeled to scar tissue within the myocardium. Left untreated, myocardial infarction induces global changes in the ventricular architecture in a process called ventricular remodeling. Eventually, the patient experiences ventricular dilation and ventricular dysfunction. This ventricular remodeling is a major cause of heart failure.
While there are several suggested means of ameliorating the effects of acute myocardial infarction (immediately after the event leading to infarct), no significant therapy has been proposed or implemented for the amelioration or reversal of chronic myocardial infarction and the deleterious effects of infracted tissue after substantial transformation or remodeling of the infracted tissue to scar tissue.